Tony Kornheiser is wrong about America (and why he probably needs to re-think his views on soccer)

By: Robert | April 12th, 2008

“It’s not our game” – Tony Kornheiser

Words we’ve heard over the airwaves many times whenever the beautiful game is discussed on PTI. These four words are used to hide the fact Tony Kornheiser knows little about soccer other than the existence of Pelé and David Beckham. And although we know his “our” is a euphemism for “my,” we never take a moment to think about some of the sentiment behind his thoughts.

“It’s not our game,” words so presumptuous about American society it’s borderline insanity. The subtext is simple, Americans can’t learn, Americans can’t grow. Those four words claim we were born knowing only a few things and we will die knowing those same few things. I shouldn’t have to tell you how ridiculous, myopic and frankly insulting that is a way to look at our country. His comments force us to assume Kornheiser believes the world to be stagnant; that what will be will be. Yet it’s not hard to see how wrong Tony Kornheiser is, just look around you to see the myriad of things that have changed in our short time on earth. Take for example, the field of sports journalism; the success of Tony’s show, PTI, has transformed an entire vocation of respected journalists into a mass of talking heads yelling back and forth at each other, some half-thought-out, insta-historian argument, but I digress.

15 years ago the only good foreigner at basketball was Lou Gramm (I don’t care what you think that’s a great joke) yet today the NBA is littered with stars from the four corners of the globe. Baseball, another uniquely American game, has spread its wings so wide and for so long that at the recent World Baseball Classic the Dominicans were favored to win the tournament and even they finished fourth behind the Japanese, Cubans and South Koreans.

The question must be asked of Mr. Kornheiser, why does he feel that America is any different? Many nations have been able to co-opt American activities into their sporting culture, yet he believes we are unable to do the same. Is it that America is a lesser nation incapable of growth, or does Kornheiser just view Americans as an arrogant population standing in the way of change? Why can everyone else learn and Americans cannot?

But let’s step back for a moment, say Kornheiser’s basic premise ends up being true and soccer in America eventually goes the way of betamax, videophones, UPN and HD DVD. All that really says about America is that soccer is not for us, not that we couldn’t learn to appreciate it. And it’s completely fine to say “it’s not for me,” the same way Kornheiser always does whenever PTI discusses mixed martial arts. But to say, “it’s not our game,” is to say we can’t grow, we can’t change, that America is as it always will be, but that’s not the America we love and its not the America any of us live in.

So the next time you hear Kornheiser say “it’s not our game,” think about what he really means and let him know you’re not happy about it because tonight in Dallas the FC stands for “frankly criticize” those who don’t believe in America.

HOOPS PRIDE!

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